A few posts below this one we carried (courtesy of killmedia.tv) a two minute video of Audra Strickland’s Sunday night floor speech. Well now we bring you a "greatest hits" video showing you the "ire" of the left.

If these Democrats seem highly annoyed or upset, perhaps it is because the truth hurts. The reality is that the absolute fealty and tribute that Democrat legislators have given at the alter of the employee unions has led to a grossly expensive state government. Among the many victims of a fat and expensive state bureaucracy are those in need of government services. Thanks to the policies passed at the behest of these unions, everything costs more — including the delivery of services to those vulnerable members of our society.

During "times of plenty" — I guess there was plenty of money to go around. But now, when we are facing a massive shortfall of funding, the proverbial chickens are coming home to roost.

Anyways, now that you have endorsed a "Flash Rant" — enjoy another video courtesy of FlashReport/KillMedia… (If you watch all of the way to the end, you can see a… Read More

Keeping true to his word, Governor Schwarzenegger just vetoed the majority-vote tax bill package sent to him by legislative Democrats. Clearly the Governator stands ready to terminate any bills that fall short of a comprensivr $24 billion fix. We commend and encourage the Governor to hold the line…… Read More

As we get closer to midnight rumors are starting up that the solidarity and unity of purpose of Senate Republicans is starting to fray. I've checked into this fairly recently with a source and was assured that GOP Senators were still standing together against any piecemeal cuts that would undercut pressure for a comprehensive solution to take us to June 30 of next year.

We commend Senate Republicans for their resolve, and urge them to reject the false notion that voting for a $3 billion cut bill tonight will help anything. The three biggest results of doing that would be damage to our negotiating position, kicking the can to the pleasure of the unions, and avoiding needed cuts through July and into August.

By standing firm, Senate Republicans will ultimately be able to claim a key role in an ultimate $24 billion solution, and will have protected taxpayers!… Read More

UPDATED: Governor Schwarzenegger just put out this statement… "I will veto any majority vote tax increase bill that punishes taxpayers for Sacramento’s failure to live within its means," the governor said in a prepared statement. "The Legislature will have a difficult time explaining to Californians why they are running floor drills the day before our budget deadline. We do not have time for any more floor drills or partial solutions. It’s time for the Legislature to send me a budget that solves our entire deficit without raising taxes." ORIGINAL POST:

Last night watching the CalChannel on my laptop was like watching an episode of the Twilight Zone where in some horrible, alternative California, it deosn’t take a 2/3 vote of the legislature to enact tax increases. By a majority… Read More

For those who weren’t watching the CalChannel for last night’s Assembly Session (where the Democrats pushed through billions in illegal majority-vote taxes), which we hope is most of you, you certainly will not want to have missed the best floor speech of the night — a two minute oration from Assemblywoman Audra Strickland. Her remarks incensed the Democrats causing many of them to take to their microphones in protest… Audra’s speech really highlighted how these Democrats have made a priority of growing state government itself, doing no favors for those at-risk people who would benefit from a less costly way of delivering services. Good job, Audra! (h/t to Eric with killmedia.tv for the footage) … Read More

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association has launched a statewide radio buy blasting Democrats for wanting to raise taxes. Echoing the theme of Assemblywoman Audra Strickland, Jon Coupal, HJTA’s President blasts Democrats for wanting to raise taxes to finance highly paid union workers — "They say more money is required to help the needy, but what they really want is more money for government employees."

You can listen to the ad right here.… Read More

Cap and Tax Bill: I write you this to you after one of the biggest votes of my Congressional career. I’m sure you have already heard a lot about this bill that passed by a vote of 219-212 on Friday evening. It is known by a variety of titles, but most commonly as ‘cap and trade,’ ‘cap and tax,’ or ‘the national energy tax.’ I won’t repeat a lot of what you already know. But suffice it to say, this bill will be a disaster for our economy, which is already in huge trouble.

The bill is so bad that it took a full court press from the President, the Speaker, and just about everybody who works in the West Wing to cajole the votes necessary with threats and treats. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) was even brought out of rehab where he is undergoing treatment for substance abuse for this vote, and rumors abound that some members were promised 9 figures of pork for their districts if they voted for the bill.

Why is it so bad? According to MIT, it will result in an energy tax that will, on average, cost American families about $3,000 per year! In addition, according to the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis… Read More

Normally, half a loaf is better than none, but under the Capitol dome that kind of logic does not always work. Over the last few days the Democrats have offered a solution to the short-term cash flow crisis but not to the on-going problem of overspending. The Republicans are split, with some advocating the partial solution then returning to the issue of a long-term fix while others argue that the problem is so acute that we do not have the luxury of time to address the problem incrementally. Earlier I was on the side of those suggesting that we agree on what is offered and come back for more debate on the rest of the problem.

However, Senator Dean Florez (D-Shafter), who is Majority Leader, brought me up short. During the debate on Friday about the short-term measures, he argued eloquently that preventing the state from issuing IOU warrants was the most important item before the Legislature, and since everyone agreed that the proposed bills would cut spending enough to cover the cash gap, they should be adopted now. Then he shocked me with way too much disclosure of the Democrat strategy by saying that the structural deficit and the imbalance of the current… Read More